Charlotte Colo does, I have dedicated servers.


Just so MOST of you are aware, almost EVERY hosting company mentioned in this thread is NOTHING more then a rack or two of dedicated servers in someones datacenter.

In fact the trend that I have seen is the people open up maybe 2 or 4 U of servers space, install Hsphere and claim to have a massive data center.

Many times i click on a web host link on this board only to see it say

" Our services are located in Texas and our data center is located in BumFuck Egypt."



That should be a big tip off right there that they really dont have a data center, all they really have is 1 or 2 servers IN a data center.


Anyone can get a box hosted in a data center, its the BEST webhost you can actually get.

If you know linux or know someone who will remote admin your box for you, theres no reason to even BUY hosting ANYWHERE.

Simply make a server, call up the data center, and send them your server.


ALMOST EVERY SINGLE hosting company I see in sigs on this board is nothing more then just that, a 1U or 2U server in a data center. Is it their data center? Fuck no, but they do try and say it is :1orglaugh


OC192, fastest connection available to man right now.

UUNET
Sprint
Verio
AOL
Time Warner Telecom
Charlotte Colo ( Verio South)

Everyone else says Multiple OC38's and crap, they get their bandwidth FROM the places above.

I think it's worth saying a few things...

Of course colo-ing your server and buying bandwidth direct are a great option... mostly in theory. Although not true in every instance, please consider the following:

1) As a single client you will not have the size or economies of scale to achieve a good price from your upstream provider. I can assure you that for the most part not a single Tier 1 sells bandwidth at reasonable prices for low commitment levels. And any large colo is unlikely to sell you just 1u, rather, they want to sell you 1/2 rack minimum.

2) Let's assume that all viable hosts are in a data center even though we know many BS and are simply in office buildings... Hosting is as much about providing good service as it is about the bandwidth space.

3) We're all owners of internet businesses. As site owners our time is best spent finding and converting traffic. Stepping out of the box of being a host, which I am, I am also a site owner. I value my time at several hundred an hour. It wouldn't take but one small instance in a month to buy an awful lot of server management.

4) If you know how to manage your server, great! Most do not. If you did know how to manage your own server your best bet would still most likely be colo with a large hosting company instead of direct with a carrier and facility. You will likely have the savings from their bulk purchase of space and bandwidth passed on to you. Also, remote hands are usually cheaper with a hosting company than with an upstream provider. I can assure you that you wouldn't like Verio's bill for such a service.

"Just so MOST of you are aware, almost EVERY hosting company mentioned in this thread is NOTHING more then a rack or two of dedicated servers in someones datacenter." VideoVoyeur

I couldn't agree more! A lot of the stuff I see posted online and read on hosting websites makes me giggle. One thing is for sure, far too many don't keep their sales pitch "real". I often think that we'd be well served by an independant watchdog group that could travel around and report back on what they found at each hosting operation... lol pipe dream!

I think some of the top companies in size are definitely:

RackShack
ev1servers.net
RackSpace

Choosing what is best really is a client-by-client decision. If you're a very competant server administrator then your best bet is to colo locally or colo with another hosting company elsewhere and manage your server remotely. At a certain point in revenue for a one man shop, however, managing your own server makes a lot less sense. Under the presumption you were with a great provider, which in some instances is alot to assume, then it would likely be cheaper and easier to have them fully manage your gear.

Just my :2 cents:

Brad

theplanet.com(servermatrix.com)
ev1servers.net
rackspace.com

Oxeo we were here before the hosting drama, through it and will be here after it settles too. Rock Solid :thumbsup

As usual, Brad has posted some very insightful prose above!

Brad you saved me a ton of typing:) You hit the nail on the head bro, ...nice post:thumbsup

http://news.netcraft.com/ -> Dotster in the US / 1&1 internet in Europe.

MMemmer, Lightning - I'm happy to have you and several others as competition. We all see things for what they are and come by our successes honestly... can't ask for more than that!

Cheers,

Brad

Damn, I killed the thread. :(

Oxeo Web Hosting :thumbsup

50 hosting companies.